Indicating means for light-signals.



C. O. HARRINGTON.

INDICATING MEANS FOR LIGHT SIGNALS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN 2. 1915.

1,1 85,998. Patnted June 6, 1916.

new H 1% TJG Z/ finial 73 P Tafjjw mvsu-ron WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLINTON O. HARRINGTON, OF EDGEWOOD BOROUGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SWITCH AND SIGNAL COMPANY, OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A

CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

INDICATIN G MEANS FOR LIGHT-SIGNALS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Original application filed May 8, 1914, Serial No. 837,194. Divided and this application filed January 2, 1915. Serial No. 17.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CLINTON O. HARRING- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Edgewood Borough, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Indicating Means for Light-Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to signals and par ticularly to signals of the type in which electric lamps are employed for giving indications.

More particularly the invention relates to means for indicating whether or not the lamps are illuminated.

My invention is particularly adapted for use in connection with apparatus of the type in which one or more signal lamps are controlled by a circuit controlling lever, which is usually one of a plurality of levers comprised in an interlocking machine. The circuit controlling lever is as usual provided with an indication device.

One feature of my invention is the provision of means for controlling this indication device by thecurrent flowing in one or more of the signal lamps.

The present application is a division of my co-pending application filed May 8, 1914, Serial No. 837,194, for indication means for light signals.

I will describe certain forms of apparatus embodying my invention and will then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a view showing diagrammatically one form of apparatus embodying my invention, the signal comprising two lamps and the indication device being controlled by current in both lamps. Fig. 2 is a view showing a modification of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 and also embodying my invention.

Similar reference characters refer to simi lar parts in each of the views.

Referring first to Fig. 1, I have here shown a signal S comprising two electric lamps L and L, which lamps may indicate clear and danger respectively, usually by giving light of different colors such as green and red. Each lamp is pronating current generator C, and the supply of this current is controlled by contacts operated by a manually operable lever H.

As here shown, a transformer A is interposed between the lamp L and the generator, the lamp being connected with the secondary of the transformer; and similarly a transformer A is interposed between lamp L and the generator. The circuit of the primary of transformer A includes a contact block J operated by lever H, which block coacts with a fixed contact G. When the lever H is in one extreme position, which is the position shown and which I will term the normal position, the transformer A for lamp L is supplied with current from the generator C, the circuit being from terminal 10 of generator C, through wire 2, contact G, contact block J, wire 1, primary of transformer A, wire 7 to the terminal 11 of generator C. The lamp L will then be illuminated. The lever H is provided with another contact block N which coacts with another fixed contact K to control the circuit for lamp L When the lever is moved in the direction of the arrow from the position in which it is shown inthe drawing, block J leaves contact G, thus extinguishing lamp L and block N engages contact K thus closing the following circuit for transformer A; from terminal 10 of generator 0 through wire 26, contact KN, wire 6, primary of transformer A, wire 7 to terminal 11 of generator C. Lamp L is then illuminated.

The lever H is usually one of a plurality of levers embodied in an interlocking ma chine, and because of the fact that other levers are usually controlled by lever H, it is desirable that the complete return movement of this lever to its normal position shall be prevented until an indication has been received that the lamp L is illuminated and lamp L extinguished, that is, that the signal indicates danger. To accomplish this, I provide a dog F on lever H, which dog coacts with a latch E, which is in turn operated by the armature of a magnet D. The dog F is sloped so that the latch does not interfere with the movement of the lever away from the normal position, but in order to get the lever H back to its normal position, the magnet D must be energized, thus lifting the latch E out of the path of dog F. in the "form of my invent on shown in Fig. l, magnet D is energized from a transformer B -whose primary is in- ClIKlCtl in series with lamp L and the secondary of transformer A, and the circuit for this n'iagnet is controlled by a back contact of a relay P a winding of which is included in the circuit with lamp L The circuit "for magnet D is also controlled by contact block 12 on lever H and a fixed contact 13. fhe circuit for magnet D is; from one terminal of the secondary of transformer B, through contact 2% of relay P, wire 5, winding of magnet D, contact block 12, contact 13, wire l to the other terminal of the secondary of transformer B.

During the return movement of lever H, block J engages contact I, thereby energizing transformer A and illuminating lamp contact K thereby dciin ing transform r ii and extinguishing lamp L Dog F hen strikes latch. E. Contact l3l2 is at this time closed, and it current is then flowing in the circuit containing lamp L ma net D will be energized. This magnet hen raises the latch E out off the path oi dog i thus permitting thcstrokc of lever H to be completed. Just before the stroke of the lever is completed, the contact block -2 is moved beyond contact 13 so that the magnet D is no longer energized.

It for any reason the lamp L is illumi nated at the same time as lamp L relay P will be energized and picked up accordingly, thus opening the circuit of magnet D at contact 24 so that lever H cannot be returned to the normal position.

It will be seen that if for any reason the circuit containing lamp L is open, as for exampl in case lamp L burns out, the mag net I) could. not be energized and the latch E would not be raised, and the complete return of the lever to its normal position would be prevented.

The apparatus shown in Fig. '2 is the "ame as that shown in Fig. 3, except that ransformor B in the circuit of lamp L is 'eplaced by a relay 1", and magnet D is enu'gized by generator Q. As the lever is returned to the normal position, contact G engages contact block J, thus energizing transiiorn'ier A as before and illuminating lamp L Belay P will then be energized, so that magnet D will be energized through the following circuit: from terminal 10 ot generator C, through wires 26 and 4-, contact 13 and contact block 12, the winding of magnet D, wire 5, back contact 2% of relay P, front contact of relay P, wires 9 and 7 to terminal 11 of generator C. Magnet D then operates latch E to permit the stroke of lever H to be completed.

If the lamp L should by accident he burning at the same time as lamp L the relay P, which is connected in series with L would be energized and its contact 24 would be open, thus opening the circuit which controls the magnet D and preventing the return of lever H to normal position.

Although I have herein shown and describ d only two forms of apparatus em.- bodying my invention, it is understood that 'arious changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without departing trom the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination, a signal comprising an electric lamp, a circuit including said lamp, means for supplying current to said circuit, a lever of an interlocking machine for con trolling the supply of current to said circuit from said means, a relay having a winding included in said circuit, and indication means controlled by said relay for releasing the lever when the lamp is illuminated.

2. in combination, a signal comprising two electric lamps, circuits each including one of the lamps, means for supplying current to said circuits, and means responsive to the presence and absence of current in. said circuits for indicating when one lamp is illuminated and the other extinguished.

3. In combination, a signal comprising two electric lamps, circuits each including one of said lamps, means for supplying current to said circuits, two relays receiving current from said two circuits respectively and one of said relays having a back con tact, and means controlled by said back con tact and by a front contact of the other relay for indicating when the lamp whose circuit supplies the relay having the back con tact is extinguished and the other lamp is illuminated.

i. In combination, a signal comprising two electric lamps, circuits each including one of said lamps, means for supplying current to said circuits, a relay receiving current from one of said circuits and having a back contact, and means controlled by said back contact and by the presence of current in the other circuit for indicating when the lamp whose circuit supplies the said relay is extinguished and the other lamp is illumi nated.

5. A signal comprising two electric lamps, circuits for said lamps, a lever of an interlocking machine for controlling said circuits, an indicating device for controlling said lever, and means responsive to the presence and absence of current in said circuits for controlling said indicating device to release the lever when one lamp is illuminated and the other extinguished.

6. A signal comprising two electric lamps, a circuit for each lamp, each circuit comprising a relay, a lever of an interlocking machine for controlling said circuits, an indicating device for controlling the lever, and means controlled by said relays for c0ntrolling said indicating device to release the lever'when one relay is energized and the other relay is deenergized.

7. A signal comprising two electric lamps, circuits each including one of said lamps, a lever of an interlocking machine for controlling said circuits, a relay receiving current from-one of said circuits and having a back contact, an indicating device for controlling said lever, and means controlled by said back contact and by the presence of current in the other circuit for releasing the lever when the lamp whose circuit supplies the relay is extinguished and the other lamp is illuminated.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CLINTON O. HARRINGTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G." 

